Just what IS the size limet on Kaiju, anyhoo?

[Just Plain Horse]

I don’t know.  I have a hard time thinking of western monsters as kaiju; its something I always associate with oriental giant monsters.  Monsters like the 50 Foot Man and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms are just big ass monsters to me while Godzilla and friends are kaiju.  Like they’re a different species or something.

While I sort of sympathize with your perspective X, I look at it this way: Eastern-and especially Asian monsters- have more flair (a natural talent or aptitude) for being all around kaiju, while monsters from other parts of the world tend to be barebones.

Incidentally, the "50 foot Man" (I think you're referring to the Amazing Colossal Man) was sort of mutated and gained an odd sort of regenerative ability due to exposure to radiation... while the Beast was a more realistic version of Godzilla, in that it was a walking radioactive waste dump that would've eventually died of exposure if left to its own devices. They're weak kaiju, but kaiju nonetheless... Gappa could take them both at the same time, I think, but at least it would be an interesting fight :)

[MonsterX]

I don’t know.  I have a hard time thinking of western monsters as kaiju; its something I always associate with oriental giant monsters.  Monsters like the 50 Foot Man and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms are just big ass monsters to me while Godzilla and friends are kaiju.  Like they’re a different species or something.

While I sort of sympathize with your perspective X, I look at it this way: Eastern-and especially Asian monsters- have more flair (a natural talent or aptitude) for being all around kaiju, while monsters from other parts of the world tend to be barebones.

Incidentally, the "50 foot Man" (I think you're referring to the Amazing Colossal Man) was sort of mutated and gained an odd sort of regenerative ability due to exposure to radiation... while the Beast was a more realistic version of Godzilla, in that it was a walking radioactive waste dump that would've eventually died of exposure if left to its own devices. They're weak kaiju, but kaiju nonetheless... Gappa could take them both at the same time, I think, but at least it would be an interesting fight :)

Doh!  I need to turn in my bad movie card.  I was thinking so hard about height when I was typing my post that I called him the 50 foot man by mistake!  Sorry Glen!

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I will avoid mentioning one possible trait:  that while leading world scientists will be mystified by the creature, a young child will know everything important about the monster.

Oh dear, Andrew brought up  a car of worms here.   DOES the "Kenny Factor" define a Kaiju?  I can see it happening.
-Ed

[Andrew]

King Kong did fight Godzilla once (and won by technical KO, if memory serves)

Oops, I failed to clarify that I meant the American King Kong.  The one that meets Godzilla is definitely larger and able to take more punishment.  .50 caliber machinegun fire is dangerous to the American Kong.

[Yaddo 42]

Now this whole thread is making me think of an old stand-up routine by the Funny Boys about King Kong washing dishes after a dinner party and griping about annoying Japanese film producers and their attempts to get him to star in a film with Reptilicus. The line "I don't work with no FROGS!" stands out even now.

[RCMerchant]

Howzabout TARANTULA? the COLASSAL BEAST? The UK ones-like KONGA and GORGO? I know...they aint Japanese....I gues Yongary wouldn't qualify,cuz he's Korean.

[Doc Daneeka]

Gorgo is the big exception that keeps coming up to that "Japanese rule"

[Flangepart]

Now this whole thread is making me think of an old stand-up routine by the Funny Boys about King Kong washing dishes after a dinner party and griping about annoying Japanese film producers and their attempts to get him to star in a film with Reptilicus. The line "I don't work with no FROGS!" stands out even now.

Yow...i'd love to hear that routine. Reminds me of a calander of funny prints. A bunch of giant gorillas are sitting on some NY buildings, while another is "Fighting" biplanes on the Empire State Building, in the back ground. One of the waiting apes is reading "Variaty". The title? "Casting call".

Andrew : Yes! Resistance of heavy firepower is a must! Heck, Kong was killed by copious amounts of .30 cal, forget 50 cal!
The Japanese Kong is a "Toho universe" alternate Kong, so he goes beyond the "Big animal" catagory.
Oh, regards Beast from 20.000 Fathoms? He is a car/building smasher, so he counts as Kaiju. Yankee flavor, but Kaiju none the less. And he was an inspiration to Tomiyuma Tanaka, so extra points for that!

[Yaddo 42]

I'd like to see any of their stuff again, Flangepart, they were pretty good as a team.

One of the guys would stand facing the audience, while the other guy hid off camera or at the side of the stage and would provide all of the sound and voices. The standing guy would stretch and roar like Kong building up to a big rampage, then meekly pick up dishes, and rub away at tough spot on a dish, until he lost his temper. He would then launch into a gripe about his wife wanting to have a dinner party, and inviting people he didn't know or like. He'd fight with the dishes some more, then gripe about the Japanese producer harassing him and pitching a movie, poking fun of how he talked (the setup let them do the "bad dubbing/mismatched dialogue" bit comedians do). Kong goes on boasting he's too big a star for the movie and naming all the other monsters he's starred with/fought (and how he carried them in the movies IIRC) and that Reptilicus is an over the hill nobody. Kong says he's a mammal monster, and that R is a amphibian monster, leading to the frog line.

This bit, one about quaaludes, and one about big screen versions of old TV shows (Dennis the Menace starring Jack Nicholson!) before the trend really took off (this was the early/mid 80s) - those guys were a hoot.

Maybe Youtube has some of their old stuff. Their names were Jonathon Schmock and James Vallely. A quick look only turned up a short film called "The Irish Language Lab", never heard of it.